Michael de Luca, one of the Oscar producers, says that the Oscar political comedy this year will be of a 'different stripe.'

Author:
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

Published:
8:25 AM EST March 3, 2018

Updated:
8:25 AM EST March 3, 2018

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President Donald Trump, it might be safe to tune into the Oscars on Sunday night (ABC 8 PM ET/5 PM PT).

Oscar producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd tell USA TODAY that host Jimmy Kimmel's show monologue will hit on politics, but will not be as accutely political as Kimmel has been this year during memorable moments of his talkshow.

De Luca says the Oscar political comedy will be of a "different stripe."

"Jimmy’s job as the host of his own show is different than his job as the Oscars host. His monologue, his humor is less issue-oriented for our purposes," says De Luca. "It will be current, but not as pointed."

Kimmel had that role in mind without input from De Luca and Todd, who are returning as well for their second year as Oscar producers.

"We don’t give him direction. He intuitively knows what the Oscars call for," says De Luca. "He loves the tradition of (past Oscar hosts) Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. And he really embraces that. He followed that tradition last year and plans to again this year."

The Oscars will pay respect to Time's Up, the movement started two months ago in Hollywood to advocate for gender equality in the workplace.

"We’ve been working with them to try to find the right way to acknowledge this really historical moment, but without making the show about that," says Todd. "We will find a moment or two where we find we can address it appropriately."

But the goal of Oscars 2018 will center around entertaining the worldwide television audience. Kimmel and the show's producers have even made light of the "Envelopegate" disaster from last year.

It wasn't funny at the time when the incorrect envelope was handed to presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway for 2017's best picture award. After the embarrassing drama around the televised snafu, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made changes to ensure it won't happen again.